IIf you’re trying to kick the coffee habit, this tea might be a middle-ground in your transition to tea.
It’s a low-key woodsy rooibos with coffee grounds inside it. You’re still getting those coffee notes, but also some wood notes, and a teensy bit of caramel.
But not a lot of caramel — if that was your selling point, I’m not getting a lot of it here. The description of the tea is “bold caramel flavor with coffee beans”, but I’m getting a much mellower cup.
The woodiness reminds me of clarinet reeds. My clarinet career was a spectacular failure, tea friends. I didn’t just “lack talent.” I was a bumbling, squeaking mess. Toward the end, I flat-out refused to practice because I believed it did no good. I hated every moment. I went down in a blaze of glory.
But I loved a fresh reed. That was a good time. I was constantly replacing those reeds. I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to my parents’ bank account for my reckless financial attitude toward those $2-a-pop reeds. They were the only thing that got me through. And they live in this rooibos.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Steeped Tea
Description
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Lemon Chiffon from The Love Tea Company. . .
I decided to make this tea into iced tea. The weather is warming up, and I’m dreaming of spring. A nice cold glass of lemon chiffon tea just screams spring to me.
This tea has rooibos, honeybush, lemon myrtle, lavender flowers, marigold petals, and lemon and pomegranate flavors. Doesn’t it just sound beautiful?
The tea is beautiful, and the smell is amazing. Nice and fruity, you just want to drink it! It’s a beautiful golden color, it kind of reminds me of a marigold to be honest. It has a very sweet and lemony flavor. It’s extremely refreshing. I don’t really taste any pomegranate flavor, but I definitely taste lemon, and a bit of the rooibos earthiness. They compliment each other very well. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. I added no sweetener and it’s perfect.
This tea is also caffeine free, so it would be perfect for an after dinner treat. I feel like it would also be nice to have before bed as lavender can really help with sleep. This is definitely a new favorite of mine, and it’s absolutely perfect for a refreshing drink on warmer days.
It’s sweet, healthy,caffeine free and delicious, what more can you ask for in a cup or glass of tea?
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The Love Tea Company
Description
There’s a reason why we call this a brilliant blend. Remember that Lemon Chiffon cake that Grandma made? It’s like that, without the cleanup or pinches to your cheek. A rooibos blend that smells like you could eat it straight out of the jar. Since it has no caffeine, it’s the perfect compliment to any after dinner treat.
Caffeine Level: None
Steep 2 teaspoons @ 195° for 3 – 5 minutes
Luxury Ingredients: rooibos, rooibus tea, honeybush, lemon myrtle, lavender flowers, marigold petals, natural lemon and pomegranate flavor.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Blueberry Lemon Cake Rooibos from Curiositea. . . .
Fruity meets dessert meets caffeine free. Helloooo!
Growing up, my aunt used to make a lemon cake topped with blueberries & homemade whipped cream, so when I saw this tea I HADTOHAVEITRIGHTNOW. I brewed it for 5 minutes in boiled water and waited a few minutes to begin drinking it.
I like this tea. Upon first glance, you can see tiny blueberries and cute cornflowers amidst the barky-ness of the rooibos. I was able to taste all three named flavors in addition to the rooibos, although I will say they felt a bit unbalanced. Lemon in general can be such a strong flavor, so a little goes a long way. It was certainly the most prominent flavor, followed by the sweetness of the blueberry and coziness of the vanilla cake.
A few tablespoons of milk transformed my cup from a mellow lemon flavor to a well-rounded dessert tea. It was perfect for a late afternoon tea break that felt indulgent but didn’t break the calorie bank. I’ll certainly check out more of Curiositea’s other blends, as I really like the creativity of this one!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: Curiositea
Description
This blend does not appear to be available anymore, but click below for rooibos blends that are.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Root Beer Float from The Necessiteas. . . . . .
One of my favorite memories from my younger years with my dad was going out to run errands with him and stopping for A&W rootbeer floats on our way home. My family was BUSY– with three overachieving daughters and a packed schedule not much about my youth was spent not doing-doing-doing something, but these sweet little moments with my dad will always be carved out in my memory as such a treasure.
Pulling the car up to the radio, getting our drinks delivered on roller skates, sipping that ice-cold frothy foam off the top before getting to the creamy carbonation below– I remember it all like it was yesterday. (And now I totally want a rootbeer float, you guys.)
Lucky for me, when I found this sample sitting in my pile, I knew exactly how I wanted to use it– by recreating a healthier, tea-inspired dupe of my childhood fave! I’m sure this tea would be delicious brewed hot, but I knew that with only one tablespoon of tea to play around with, I had to test it out as an iced tea pop.
If tea pops are new to you, it’s essentially a strongly-brewed iced tea topped with sparkling water for a soda-esque drink. I steeped my tea overnight by cold brewing in the fridge– about a tablespoon to a cup of water.
After straining the next morning, I added about a cup and a half of fresh sparkling water, topped with a few ice cubes, and YUM– you guys– this was a perfect dupe of my old favorite. The rooibos base flavors were there, but they melded beautifully with the sasparilla and other flavors to perfectly mimic a sweet & creamy rootbeer float. My sample didn’t come with any mini marshmallows as advertised, but maybe that’s for the best with an iced brew– and it still was delightfully creamy and sweet.
A definite winner– and a nostalgic treat that I’ll be making for myself again and again this summer (and maybe my dad as well)!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Rooibos
Where to Buy: The NecessiTeas
Description
This blend will take you back to your childhood days, sitting on the porch, sippin’ on those old fashioned root beer floats. Add a touch of sugar and splash of milk and you will swear you were drinking the real thing! Perfect hot or poured over ice and naturally caffeine free!
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Rooibos Apple Tea Recipe courtesey of Rooi Life
I have to be honest and start this review off with a disclaimer. I’ve never been a fan of red rooibos. I’ve tried so many different varieties and different brands, hoping to find the right red rooibos that will work with my taste buds. To me, red rooibos has this distinct medicinal woodsy flavor that I just can’t get past or can really describe very well. I have yet to find that perfect red rooibos blend that works for me.
What is kind of funny is that green rooibos and I are best buds. We hang out all the time and really enjoy each other’s company. I seek out green rooibos blends all the time and have to restrain myself for buying them all up and having a primarily green rooibos tea stash.
So when our samples for Rooi Life Red Rooibos arrived at my door, I thought I would put on my big girl pants and try again. I took a whiff of the blend itself and just couldn’t bring myself to brew the tea up straight. Took another moment to gather myself and sat down to check out their website to learn more about Rooi Life. As I was looking at all of the information they offer about red rooibos- I noticed they had a link for their blog with red rooibos iced tea recipes. I started to wonder if maybe that was the ticket for me liking red rooibos. So I brewed up their tea using their Rooibos Apple Tea Recipe.
Basically, the recipe is incredibly easy.
Mix the following ingredients in a large pitcher:
2 cups of Rooi Life Red Rooibos brewed & chilled. (I cold brewed mine)
1 cup apple juice
1/2 lemon, thinly sliced
Fresh Mint Leaves
2 apples thinly sliced
After mixing all the ingredients, I put the pitcher back in the fridge and allowed the concoction to develop the flavors for a bit. About an hour later, I again, put on my big girl pants yet again and poured myself and my husband a glass of this iced tea.
My husband really enjoyed the beverage and I have to admit, as red rooibos teas go, this one isn’t too bad. What I love is that the apple juice, apples, mint, and lemon notes do wonders to mute the red rooibos medicinal woodsy like flavor that I am not a fan of. I’m wondering if maybe I added in a bit more apple juice or hadn’t cold brewed the tea to begin with- if I wouldn’t have been happier with the blend.
All in all, I’m happy with how the brew turned out. Not sure if this is something I would make all the time or just on occasion, but it is always nice to change things up in your tea drinking routine every now and again. I never would have thought about adding in different fruits or juices to help make the red rooibos herb a bit more pleasing to my taste buds. Now I’m sure excited to see what other fun iced teas I can possible brew up and enjoy poolside this summer.
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Red Rooibos
Where to Buy: Rooi Life
Description
We sell Organic South African Rooibos Tea. Rooibos is a natural herb that is full of health! It is caffeine-free and low in tannin. It contains no additives or artificial preservatives. It contains a high concentration of anti-oxidants, minerals and vitamins, with several health benefits to it.
